Community Brag Posts

Though I'd spent a few months crocheting a baby blanket, my mother also wanted something special and lasting as a gift for a future new family member. She tried to think of something unique, but kept coming up empty. I went online to help her, and looked for newborn items. Unfortunately, I just kept running into toys, toys, and more toys. Ones that would be "grown out of" quickly, too. It was late at night, and very quiet, the time when your brain is calm and sometimes things just dawn on you.

Why not a toy BOX? (And one already "worn in," so that it could take a lot of play throughout the years.) I knew right where to look for a plan--Ana White's website! It ended up being a gift for him from both of us, and while he's a little too young to notice it now, we hope it grows with him and brings him years of joy.

Thank you, Ana, for sharing your talent and helping us (and so many others) create something truly special. That old blanket can wait until Christmas!

Modified Farmhouse style bad. Used lighter wood for headrest and footrest. Changed measurements for Lithuanian size of mattress (200x160cm). For headboard panel were used pallets wood so it was necessary to paint it right. Also Added some trims for decorating edges.

Lots of modifications - first, from a safety standpoint, I wanted more exits on the lower bunk. I built two versions of the front, so they can get in and out on both sides. I also added a ladder on one side because I'm not going to build the stairs for a few weeks. I have a firefighter friend who has warned me of some safety aspects, including not to put this up against a window. There's 3 feet clearance from this bed and the window. So, still to paint and decorate it, but that will happen later.

These were such a gratifying project to build! Used a 1x4” for the top front frame and cut a curve in it to give a Craftsman vibe. I really like the look of the retired IKEA Norna bookcase and that inspired the 2x2” framed base painted in a contrasting color. I also finished the top with a full 1x2” frame with mitered corners to make it look more “finished.” If I were to do it again, I’d cut the top plywood shorter to create less overhang on the sides. Eventually I’d like to paint a design in white paint on the top!

I made this this February for my daughter’s birthday. I did not use Ana’s plans for same desk since at the time I did not know this site existed. I made my own plans that were influenced by Ballard design and Pottery Barn catalogs. It took me many nights though if you have the time it should not take more than a weekend to make.
I added a keyboard shelf using special slides hat I found at HD.

I made it out pine and plywood from HD. I trimmed the bottom with a trim and painted with primer and high gloss White Dove Valspar paint.

Great, fun project. Only used a Kreg jig, Skill Saw and Sander. Super easy.

This is the first time I have ever built anything and I'm very pleased with the results. The stain is water based 'charcoal gray'. It took 2 - 3 rounds of sanding, one coat of pre-stain, two coats of stain, and 3 coats of polyurathane. Total investment was about $350. It took me 3 months (I didn't have but an hour here and an hour there to work on it). My main concern was that I make it so that the screws were not visible. So I drilled a hole the size of the head of the screw about 1/4 in deep (then the typical pre-drill for the actual screw), screwed it together, then glued a wooden 'plug' in the hole. I'm very happy with the result of that. I also struggled a bit with how to attach the side rails - I ended up using 2 door hinges at each corner. The bed frame is completely separate from the mattress. I have a metal frame that is working fine, so the wooden frame actually does not touch the metal mattress frame. It is just built around it. Tools I used: Hammer, Paint Brush, Electric palm sander, Miter saw and a drill. The miter saw was huge for this project. 

I built the coat rack along with the mail sorter and rustic bench for the long hallway to the garage since our new house doesn't have a mud room. I modified it to a length of 6'.  All but a couple pieces are made from poplar.  I burnt the stained pieces with a torch, then put a quick coat of Special Walnut on them.  The painted pieces are Rustoleum Weathered Wood.  Hooks are from Home Depot.

We loved the Tryde coffee table, but thought a more industrial look would fit better in our apartment. We saw some black iron pipes at Home Depot and decided to use these for the legs. It turned out great and looks really good with the rest of the furniture! Thanks for the plan!

So my sister's house is on a rural, sandy lot. Did I mention sand...lots of sand. Her tile doesn't react well to sand-covered shoes , so they needed a place for guests to take off street shoes to replace them with spa booties. I offered to build them a storage bench for that purpose.
I modified the bench to make it shorter as per my sister's request. She also wanted the lower shelf modified to place a boot tray on it to catch the sand. I suggested replacing the lower shelf with rails to place the shoes on so the sand could fall off onto the boot tray. We nailed finish nails into the legs under the rails and slid the tray onto them. Now she can remove the tray easily to dispose of the...sand.
The finish on the body matches the mirror, which hangs above it. The lid of the bench was stained to match the finish on the doors, posts, etc. I used wrap around inset hinges from here: http://www.rocklerpro.com/product.cfm?page=5135&rrt=1
I checked this as a weekend project because of dry time for stain and poly.
Thank you, ANA for the awesome plans.

We added additional trim to the top and also a thin trim across the front of the shelves to hide the raw edge.  For paint, I used a grey chalk paint and then wiped an antique white chalk paint over it. I had stained the edges before painting and lightly sanded the paint off of the sharp edges so you see minor amounts of exposed stained wood. 

My wife, Krafty Kimmy Paperkrafts, needed a shelf to place in her booth at a local store. Obviously made out of pine, I burned and stained it for her. This weekend I'm making a ladder shelf to match.

Our local Habitat for Humanity puts on an annual event where they get folks to restore discarded or worn down furniture and sell them at auction. My wife and I participated last year and this year I was asked to build 4 dog houses and then they were going to let local designers/decorators finish them out.

I figured it would be easy to find a good dog house plan, but I was wrong so I had to come up with my own designs. I did not want to use plywood becauase I wanted them to look good. So I used 1x4's and 1x6's. I built them all just a little bit different, but the same basic design on all 3. Since I am not very good with circular cuts, did not do any fancy 1/2 circle doorways!

There are "after" pictures on the Blog. Thanks for looking!

This was my first furniture build & the plans were a great help. Learned a lot along the way, made a few minor changes (1x4 on front of seat gives a little overhang) & had a lot of fun with the project. Our 2 kids are equally proud.

I built this above toilet cabinet for my son and his wife for Christmas.  They needed a little extra bathroom storage.   Turned out pretty good.

Used 4x4's for the legs to make it more "beefy" and therefore had to add an extra 2x6 on top. Also used a 2x4 for the upper side trip instead of 2x2. Used a dark walnut stain and several coats of clear gloss polyurethane.

Me and my husband had only a hollywood frame forever and just never wanted to spend the money to buy one, then I found this website!! This is the first thing that I ever built I'm pretty proud of my self. Espically since I had the help of my one and two year old it took a little longer but i got it done.